اَلْمَزَامِيرُ 74:11

Smith Van Dyke Version

‎لماذا ترد يدك ويمينك. اخرجها من وسط حضنك. افن‎.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

withdrawest: Isaiah 64:12, Lamentations 2:3

pluck it out: As the outward habit of the easterns has no sleeves, the hands and arms are frequently covered with the folds of the robe; and, in order to do anything, the hand must be disentangled, and drawn out. Psalms 44:23, Psalms 78:65, Psalms 78:66

Reciprocal: Exodus 15:6 - right hand 1 Samuel 4:3 - Wherefore 2 Kings 19:14 - spread it Psalms 3:7 - Arise Psalms 7:9 - Oh Psalms 44:3 - thy right Psalms 60:5 - save Psalms 83:13 - O my Proverbs 19:24 - General Lamentations 5:1 - behold Ezekiel 7:22 - face

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even that right hand?.... By which is meant the power of God; by which he made the heavens and the earth, and all things therein, and supports them in their beings; by which the work of his grace is wrought in the hearts of his people, and they are upheld; and by which he conquers their enemies, and saves them: this may be said to be withdrawn when he denies his people the help and succour they have had from him; when he seems to have forsaken the work of his hands; when there is not that success in the ministry of the word there formerly was, his arm being not revealed and made bare; and when the enemies of religion prosper and get ground; and when the Lord seems to be altogether inactive and unconcerned, like a man that folds up his arms under his arm holes, or hides his hands in his bosom, see Psalms 44:23 wherefore it follows:

pluck it out of thy bosom; as he will one day, and strike with a home blow, antichrist and his followers, and destroy them with his rod of iron, with which he will break them in shivers as a potter's vessel; and all his enemies shall feel the lighting down of his arm with the indignation of his anger; and then this request will be fulfilled: the word used signifies to "consume" a; and Kimchi interprets it, consume the enemy out of thy bosom, which is the house of the sanctuary; his secret place, as the bosom is to man; but both senses of the word maybe retained, and the meaning be, pluck it out of thy bosom to consume them b: also it signifies to restrain c; and the sense may be, as the above writer observes, restrain it, that it may not return to thy bosom, till thou hast executed judgment on the wicked.

a כלה "consume", Montanus, Gejerus. b So some in Vatablus. c "Cohibe", Junius & Tremellius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? - Why dost thou not stretch forth thy hand for our deliverance? The hand, especially the right hand, is the instrument by which we wield a sword, or strike a blow; and the expression here is equivalent to asking why God did not interfere and save them.

Pluck it out of thy bosom - As if God had hidden his hand beneath the folds of his garment, or had wrapped his robe tightly around him. It “seemed” as if he had done this, as if he looked calmly on, and saw the temple fired, the synagogues burned up, the land laid waste, and the people slaughtered, without an attempt to interpose. How often are we constrained to use similar language - to ask a similar question - when iniquity abounds, when crime prevails, when sinners are perishing, when the church mourns - for God seems to have withdrawn his hand, and to be looking on with unconcern! No one can tell why this is so; and, without irreverence, or a spirit of complaining, but deeply affected with the mystery of the fact, we may ask “Why” this is so.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 74:11. Why withdrawest thou thy hand — It has been remarked, that as the outward habit of the easterns had no sleeves, the hands and arms were frequently covered with the folds of the robe; and in order to do any thing, the hand must be disentangled and drawn out. The literal version of the Hebrew is: "To what time wilt thou draw back thy hand; yea, thy right hand, from within thy bosom?" Consume; that is, manifest thy power, and destroy thy adversaries. I have, in the introduction to the book of Psalms, spoken of the old metrical version by Sternhold and Hopkins, and have stated that it was formed from the original text. A proof of this may be seen by the learned reader in this and the preceding verse; where, though their version is harsh, and some of their expressions quaint almost to ridicule, yet they have hit the true meaning which our prose translators have missed: -

Ver. Psalms 74:10. When wilt thou once, Lord, end this shame,

And cease thine en'mies strong?

Shall they always blaspheme thy name,

And rail on thee so long?

Ver. Psalms 74:11. Why dost thou draw thy hand aback,

And hide it in thy lap?

O pluck it out, and be not slack

To give thy foes a rap!